The UC SMP Student Guide
How to survive thrive in the UC SMP: Student Perspectives on
the M.S. in Physiology Program at University of Cincinnati
College of Medicine
Introduction
Written and up-dated primarily by students in the
MS program, the goals of this evolving document
are to assist prospective and future students (1)
evaluate the program and determine its relevance to
their own educational goals; (2) prepare for the
program and help ensure success; and (3) ease the
transition in moving to Cincinnati and starting the
program. To that end, we are investing the time to
answer some common questions, provide guidance,
and blaze the trail for our successors. We think it’s
a great program, and we hope it will help others
make the most of the opportunity.
What to expect
This program is designed to help students continue
their preparation for medical school. It therefore
targets pre-medical and/or non-traditional students
seeking an opportunity to enhance their chances for
medical school admission, to gain a comprehensive
perspective on what med school is really like, and to
hone their academic/study skills. MS students are
matriculated in two of the three major blocks of the
Year I medical curriculum: Fundamentals in the
Fall Semester and GI, Endocrine and Reproduction
in the Spring Semester (during the Fall Semester
MS students are also enrolled in the Surface
Anatomy component of Clinical Skills; Clinical
Skills and Physician & Society are smaller content
courses that run throughout Year I of the medical
curriculum).
Fundamentals of Medical Science prepares
students for the organ blocks by presenting
foundational concepts and principles in molecular
and cellular medicine. This includes an analysis of
cellular structures and organelles, protein structure
and function, nucleic acid biochemistry, replication
and repair of DNA, the processes of transcription
and translation, regulation of gene expression,
modern molecular techniques used for diagnosis
and research, the metabolism of carbohydrates,
proteins, purines and pyrimidines, and fatty acids,
human genetics (Mendelian and mitochondrial
inheritance patterns and probabilities, positional
cloning, cytogenetics, imprinting, triplet repeat
expansions,
multi-factorial
diseases,
tumor
suppressors, and the relevance of the human
genome project to medicine), signal transduction
pathways, elementary nutrition, and the anatomy
and pharmacology of the autonomic nervous
system. Early embryogenesis, cellular adaptations
and cellular aging are presented, along with
elementary pharmacodynamics, pharmaco-kinetics,
and the absorption, distribution, metabolism and
excretion of pharmacologically active compounds.
Students are introduced to basic concepts and
principles of immunology and microbiology. The
material learned in the Fundamentals forms the
background for all blocks that follow, and will be
expanded upon as organ-specific functions are
discussed.
Surface Anatomy is a detailed peer-based
examination of the body including osteology and
radiology.
provide a “State-of-the-Art” review of a specific
and relevant topic, or in some cases, a laboratory
experience.
GI/Endocrine/Reproduction introduces students to
the multi-organ systems that contribute to human
digestive, endocrine, and reproductive functions.
The block contains didactic and interactive
instruction that promotes learning about normal
structure and function as well as diseases that affect
these systems. The block covers normal histology,
embryology and function integrated with a
consideration of (molecular to tissue) abnormalities
and appropriate therapy for related conditions. The
gastrointestinal content also examines issues of
nutrition, as well as the impact of pathogenic
organisms. The reproductive content examines areas
of knowledge, attitudes, and practices of human
sexuality including: sexual dysfunction, sexually
transmitted diseases, sexual orientation, sexual
variations, and sexuality and aging. In addition,
detailed cadaver based anatomy will be included,
and spending substantial time in the anatomy labs is
a must.
One of the main advantages of this program is the
direct integration with medical school classes; if
you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be a med
student, taking classes with them is a great way to
find out. The information is, predictably, similar to
undergrad courses in the same subjects, but you
learn to an entirely different level of detail, and the
pace can seem relentless. Although you won’t be
an actual medical student, this program will give
you a good taste of what medical school is like - the
long hours, the stress, and the rewards of learning
medicine. And if you’re looking for a way to prove
to an admissions committee that you can handle the
workload, coming here and beating the med student
average is just about the best way to do it.
Prior to beginning Fundamentals, MS students are
enrolled in Graduate Medical Physiology I,
covering Cell, Muscle, and Cardiovascular
Physiology (this course is based on the prior
discipline-based Medical Physiology course at the
College and students are evaluated using the same
secure exams that were used to evaluate medical
students and benchmarked to those between 2008
and 2011). During January and February of the
Spring Semester, while medical students are
enrolled in the Musculoskeletal-/Integument portion
of the M1 curriculum, MS students are enrolled in
Graduate Medical Physiology II, covering Renal,
Respiration, and Acid-Base (again, students are
evaluated using the same secure exams that were
used to evaluate medical students between 2008 and
2011). In addition, during January and February,
MS students also take BioStatistics, a course that
examines the basic application of scientific statical
principles in clinical research, including the ways in
which such research is conducted, evaluated, and
applied to patient care. Finally, students begin work
on their Thesis, in which you are expected to
Another advantage of this program is the small size;
there only 32 students in the program, which means
there is a lot of interaction, especially with the
Physiology faculty. They certainly know who we
are and are more than willing to help us with the
admissions process. Several of the Physiology
Faculty are either current or former members of the
medical school admissions committee, and they’ve
conducted interviewing workshops for us, etc. It’s a
clear advantage over many other masters’ programs.
Preparation for the program
Being prepared is important since you will need to
“hit the ground running” on the very first day of
class. The fall semester has proven to be the most
difficult and important, due to the increased
difficulty of the med school classes and the need for
your best performance in order to supplement your
applications with your current grades (if you choose
to apply to med school while in the program). In
most cases students will already have the MCAT
behind them, and this is highly recommended. If
you decide to re-take the MCAT after classes have
started, be aware there will be very little time to
study. Adjusting to the new city, school, and
atmosphere is not a very conducive time to be
preparing for the MCAT. If you must take the
MCAT after classes start, it is possible (a few
students do this and most), but don’t plan on it if
you can help it. If you are planning on applying to
medical school while in the program, you should
make every effort to have your AMCAS and
secondary applications complete and submitted
before classes start. Just like trying to study for the
MCAT, there will not be a great deal of time
available to write application essays. Also once
classes start, you will want to obtain a “letter of
intent” from the program director. This is basically
a letter summarizing the program. You should send
this letter out to all of the medical schools for which
you complete secondaries. This will let schools
know to be looking out for grades, update letters,
and exactly what the program entails.
What classes are like
Med Classes (the medical school blocks taken
with the med students): Fundamentals of
Molecular Medicine, Fundamentals of Cellular
Medicine, GI/Endocrine/Reproduction.
These classes are the main focus of the curriculum
and last throughout the fall and spring semesters.
The lectures for these classes are generally
PowerPoint presentations and are posted to
Blackboard or LCMS+ (the internet-based tools that
UC uses to manage classes) either before or right
after the lecture. In addition, classes are webcasted
and recorded for later viewing. Because all the
PowerPoint files and recordings are posted online,
catching up on a missed lecture is fairly easy. Most
students attend the lectures daily; it’s easier to know
what they’re pointing at on screen with the laser
pointer, which you may not get listening and
viewing later. However, there is no penalty for
missing classes and the medical students are openly
encouraged to study in whatever manner works best
for them. Just be sure you listen to and take
detailed notes on every lecture, skipping is a no-no
and will come back to bite you on test day. Also,
there will be some required sessions involving
patient presentations and in-class quizzes, make
sure to keep up to date on the schedule and NEVER
miss a required session. All anatomy sessions, both
those in the cadaver lab and those with peer-practice
surface anatomy, are required as well. There are
weekly tests in Fundamentals and bi-weekly tests in
GI/Endo/Repro, so be sure you don’t fall behind.
These sessions help to keep you caught up with the
material and are a good way to judge your progress.
Exams are multiple choice, but they are difficult
(the notorious all of the above, some of the above,
and none of the above answer choices). After
exams, there will usually be some form of exam
review. Take advantage of this time – you can’t
improve if you don’t know your weaknesses. When
it comes time for tests, the “Internal Medicine CD
files” will become useful to you. These files can be
downloaded from Blackboard and have old tests,
study guides, and quizzes. While the old tests may
not resemble your tests 100%, they are very helpful
at gauging your progress. This is more true for the
GMP classes (below), but these old tests are still a
great review tool for the medical blocks. Another
very good resource for the tests during the medical
blocks are board review books in the appropriate
topics. UCCOM is moving towards NBME-based
tests (the same organization that writes the
USMLE), so there have been more and more boardrelated questions appearing on tests.
MS-Specific Classes not taken with the medical
students):
Graduate Medical Physiology I & II: All of the
above applies, except for the portions regarding
attendance and the last bit regarding using board
review books. You should make every effort to
attend all of the GMP lectures – there are MP3 files
available from previous years online, but they often
do not match exactly as things change from year-toyear. Also, some instructors have been known to
give pop quizzes which are relatively easy points
you will not want to miss out on. You are in a class
with only the MS students, so it becomes very
obvious when people are not coming to class – take
advantage of the small class size and the expert
instructors, most of whom were or still are
instructors for medical school classes. The test
questions for GMP exams from the legacy medical
curriculum, and, while using a board review book
may still help you with comprehension, your time is
likely better spent reviewing lectures and studying
the exams available on the Internal Medicine CD.
Usually at least a few questions show up on the
actual test that are very similar to the practice tests.
Statistics for Biomedical and Clinical Research: Be
active in class and put solid effort into each
workshop. This class isn’t meant to be tricky and is
simply about putting in the work and being an
active participant in class sessions.
Molecular Physiology: This class is meant to
complement some of the material given in the GER
medical block. It is a discussion class, so take the
simple steps to prepare for the once-per-week
session and participate in class.
These following courses have mandatory
attendance, are pass fail, and require no outside
work. These classes are held on a weekly basis.
Seminar continues throughout the year, while
Careers only lasts for the fall quarter.
Physiology Seminar – This is a weekly seminar put
on by faculty from UC or visiting professors.
Basically a professor will present their current
research and then open the floor up for questions.
These can be quite helpful, especially when the
topic overlaps with your thesis topic, and are
usually very interesting.
Health Professions – Each week a different person
from the medical community gives a presentation
on their role in medicine. Speakers that we had
included an epidemiologist, a genetic counselor, and
a practicing DO physician. These presentations
help you to understand all the components that
make up the “medical team.”
Thesis
The literature review paper is very important in that
it accounts for a large portion of your overall GPA
for the program. Thus, completing the review paper
to the best of your ability is crucial to help ensure
you complete the program and earn a Master of
Science degree. An extensive list of advisors and
topics is distributed during orientation and each
student will need to select and an advisor and a
topic in which they are interested. Most students
select to do a literature review, while some students
select to do a traditional research based thesis.
The majority of the work on your review paper will
be in the spring semester and to some extent during
the summer, but getting started earlier is better –
you can start in the fall if you are committed
enough. During the first few weeks of school, you
will need to select a topic and a faculty advisor.
When selecting a topic, it is most important to
choose a topic in which you are interested. Each
topic has many different aspects which allow you to
focus on an area that interests you. It is also
important to select a faculty member with whom
you will be able to work well with. Some faculty
members will provide a very structured approach
while others tend to allow the student to take their
own approach. Throughout the first two semesters
you will need to begin reading articles and meeting
with your advisor. An outline will be due at the end
of the fall semester, so you will need to be familiar
with your topic by this time. A quick piece of
advice – get to know the faculty early and find your
advisor earlier rather than later, even if you aren’t
starting your thesis. Developing a good relationship
with your advisor and having a general idea of
where you are going with your thesis will make life
a lot easier when it comes time to work on it. In
addition, this will give you time to know for sure if
you have an advisor that you will be able to work
with, there is nothing wrong with realizing (early)
that you need to find someone else to do your thesis
with.
Additionally, your faculty mentor may also be
asked to contribute to your letter(s) of
recommendation that the Program Director will
send out to AMCAS, so getting to know your
mentor early is clearly an advantage to you. One
recommended strategy is to try and meet with your
mentor once a week to discuss a paper(s) you have
read, to ask questions, and just to get to know them.
The process of writing the review paper is long and
can be difficult. You will have to read many, many
articles in order to simply understand all of the
background information on your topic. From there
you will have to read more articles to understand
the research techniques, more articles to provide
support or opposition to hypotheses and ideas, more
articles to show where the current research is
headed, and more articles to allow you to make your
own conclusions and hypotheses on the subject.
Writing the initial draft is one of the hardest parts
and can take several months. Once you have a good
draft, complete with figures and references, it is a
good idea to have other students and/or faculty
members read it and give you feedback. Revising
and editing can also take a long time; you may have
to read more papers and possibly re-work some of
your ideas and conclusions. The entire process
requires a lot of effort and can certainly be
frustrating, but it is not impossible. The best advice
is to start early and plan on working on your review
paper throughout the entire year. This will help you
in several ways. One, by starting early, you will
avoid the stress of meeting deadlines. Second,
reading up on your subject early on will give you
the knowledge to attend seminars and guest
speakers that may come to present on your topic.
There are a lot of high profile researchers from
around the country who come to UC to give
presentations, and odds are that you may have read
some of their work in your research. Being able to
talk with them about their ideas and asking them
questions can be incredibly helpful. Finally, writing
your review paper is a process of self-education and
can be a great supplement to the didactic courses
you will take. The amount of research you do
should make you almost an expert in some fields,
which can incredibly helpful when you encounter
the same material a month or two later in one of
your classes. Similarly, everything you learn in
class throughout the year will help you write your
review paper.
Other learning opportunities
The biggest advantage of a program of this sort is
that you gain access to a college of medicine. One
of our classmates made a contact with the chair of
cardiothoracic surgery, and secured an open
invitation for our class to the weekly teaching
lectures in that department. A couple of students
have been able to scrub in and observe surgeries
with that department.
Others worked in the
emergency and radiology departments. There are
many medical and civic volunteer opportunities
both close to the University and across the city. A
demonstrated commitment to volunteerism is an
important component for any medical school
application, UCCOM included. Here’s a list of a
few opportunities:
Cincinnati Children’s: A world-renowned pediatric
hospital that is ranked within the top five nationally.
They will require a TB vaccination, two reference
contacts, an application form, and a steady
commitment (for students that is approximately 40
hours per year). More information can be found at:
http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/give/volunteer/.
University Hospital: The main teaching hospital for
the University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine.
There are numerous opportunities here, and many
students have set up shadowing, work, and/or
volunteer opportunities in the emergency medicine,
cardiothoracic surgery, and radiology departments.
One City – This is an umbrella organization for
many volunteer opportunities in Cincinnati that
provide assistance and outreach for tutoring
children, assisting the homeless, employment
training, and provides a health clinic for those
discharged from hospital services but are not able to
receive follow-up recovery care. Upon registering
with them they will email or call you with volunteer
opportunities that they need staff for. You may
choose as many or as few as you like. This program
is popular among some of the medical students
because there is not a set schedule and events are
often on the weekends. More information can be
found here: http://www.onecity.org.
The National Underground Railroad Freedom
Center – A dynamic center and satellite of the
Smithsonian Institution located in downtown
Cincinnati on the banks of the Ohio River. In
addition to their powerful exhibits on the history
and continued presence of slavery, they frequently
hold many outreach activities that require volunteer
help. If you are involved with the exhibit aspect of
the Center they may need you more regularly, but if
you are involved with events only, there may be
more flexibility in scheduling. More information
can
be
found
here:
http://www.freedomcenter.org/volunteeringatthefree
domcenter/volunteering.html.
Starfire Council – An organization that pairs
volunteers with groups of disabled individuals of all
ages. There are all sorts of outings and events, and
it really doesn’t even feel like volunteering – you
just hang out and have fun with everyone! Their
website provides more information on the program,
and is available at: http://www.starfirecouncil.org.
Med Mentors- Med Mentors is a great opportunity
to give back to the community. Essentially you (and
another MS student-if you choose to pair up) are
paired with a mentee, anywhere from elementary to
high school. Throughout the year you will form a
meaningful relationship by activities that you
choose to do together. Dr. Lim is the faculty advisor
for this program, so keep an eye out for her email at
the beginning of the Fall.
Endzone Tutoring Club - A weekly tutoring club
that serves local Cincinnati students of all ages.
Endzone usually meets on Saturdays from 10amNoon, and you are paired up with a student in a
subject you feel comfortable with. It’s a great way
to sharpen your communication skills while also
impacting the local community. More information
will be sent via email at the beginning of the Fall
That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Cincinnati.com is
a website that features things to do in Cincinnati
and also has a diverse list of volunteer
opportunities:
http://shopatcincinnati.com/volunteer/oppselect.asp.
Student Acceptances
What you’re probably wondering more than
anything is: Does the program work? Like every
program, you get out of it what you put in, and if
you do well, it will help with admissions. It won’t
get you in on its own, but if you combine it with
good qualifications before coming, excellent results
are possible. Similar to most programs of its type,
the MS program helps most when compensating for
a single “blemish” on an area of your application –
typically providing the most help for students with a
low GPA in relation to a solid MCAT. However,
regardless of your situation, there is no doubt that
this type of program is a message to admissions
committees that you are serious enough to invest a
year of your life (and a good amount of money) in
your pursuit of medicine. Completion of this
program
will
unquestionably
significantly
strengthen your application credentials, as seen by
the incredible rate of acceptance for program
graduates (usually around 60-70% for same year
applicants, and over 90% for those who apply or reapply after the program).
Graduates have been accepted into a number of
different schools, including the following:
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Albany Medical College
Case Western Reserve University, College of Medicine
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Howard University
Marshall University
Medical College of Wisconsin
Medical University of South Carolina
Midwestern University
New York Medical College
Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic
Medicine
Ohio State School of Medicine
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine
Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Tulane University School of Medicine
Uniformed Services (The F. Edward Hébert School of
Medicine)
University of Calgary - Faculty of Medicine
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
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University of Colorado School of Medicine
University of Kentucky College of Medicine
University of Louisville College of Medicine
University of North Carolina
University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine
University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine
University of South Carolina School of Medicine
University of Toledo School of Medicine
University of Virginia School of Medicine
University of Colorado
Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
Wayne State University School of Medicine
Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine
Eastern Tennessee State
Texas A&M
University of South Carolina School of Medicine
Western University
Michigan State University
SUNY Stony Brook School of Medicine
SUNY Downstate
Medical College of Georgia
University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
Oakland University William Beaumont School of
Medicine
• University of Rochester
Study Spots
There are a variety of places to study around the
University and Cincinnati. These include:
Graduate student room – An old lab in the
department has been designated as study space for
students in program. Each of us has our own desk
for studying along with storage lockers and some
comfy chairs for relaxing.
College of Medicine – There is abundant study
space throughout the medical school building and
with your student ID you have access to it 24/7.
Panera Bread Company –Two locations, one on
Calhoun Street on the south side of West campus
and another in the Hyde Park Plaza. Free refills on
coffee, enough said.
The Coffee Shop on Madison – Located in the
“square” of O’Bryonville on Madison Road. It just
opened this past spring, has some great coffee
blends and really comfy chairs.
Sitwells Coffee House – Located right on Ludlow
Ave. Great coffee, food, and space to study.
Awakenings – Located in the Hyde Park Square.
Good coffee blends, espresso bar, plus art, music,
and wine tastings (Not recommended while
studying). Open late on the weekends. Parking can
be tricky.
Starbucks – There are several around, one in the
hospital, one on McMillan Street south of West
campus, and a new one opening next to
Awakenings.
IHOP/Waffle House – Good, cheap, late night eats.
Can be a lifesaver during exam week.
Housing
Relative to many parts of the country, housing is
fairly inexpensive in the Cincinnati area. Most
students live in the Clifton, Ludlow area and walk
to class every day or live farther away in Hyde Park
or Mount Lookout (about a 10-15 minute drive) and
drive into school. There is a parking deck attached
to the medical school building and you can buy a
parking pass from the University. Also there is a
great bus system around the campus and the city.
As students, we get free bus passes so finding
somewhere on a bus route can also be very
convenient. If you can come out to visit and look at
some apartments before school starts. Simply
looking at apartments online can be somewhat
deceiving compared to looking at the in person.
Recreation
The University of Cincinnati has an incredible
Recreation Center, that was just recently
constructed. There are several basketball courts,
racquetball courts, a climbing wall, indoor track,
very spacious free-weight and cardio areas, and a
swimming pool with whirlpool. Also there is a
brand new gym in the basement of the medical
school building.
Check out their website at
http://www.uc.edu/reccenter/.
There are quite a few things to do in Cincinnati,
from pro sports teams (the Bengals and Reds) plus
UC and OSU in college sports. There is a pretty
good zoo along with the aquarium in Kentucky.
The Air Force Museum in Dayton (~40 miles away)
is huge and impressive.
The Kings Island
amusement park is just outside the city, and Cedar
Point (“one of the best amusement parks in the
world” according to one of our classmates) is 3-4
hours away. A group of us recently went ice
skating at Fountain Square (Cincinnati’s version of
Rockefeller Plaza). As far as restaurants and
nightlife, some highlights mentioned by our class:
The Hofbrauhaus (“1 of only 3 in the world, great
Dunkel, get a DD before embarking and bring your
table dancing shoes”)
The Newport Levee “with a ton of fun bars (Bar
Louie amongst others)”
Mount Adams is “a super cool place to go and hang
out. There are a lot of super trendy restaurants and
very nice houses with a great lookout of the city.”
Mount Airy “has a number of really nice (very
unpopulated, except for the deer) hiking trails for a
study break.”
Mount Lookout “has several great restaurants and
bars including a pizza place open until 4am on
Friday and Saturday and several half price sushi
joints”
Hyde Park Square “great food and drink, check out
the Cock & Bull”
Rookwood Plaza in Hyde Park “The Pub, Rusty
Bucket, Buca di Beppo, and The Wine Guy Bistro –
several places with great food and a great selection
of drinks”
My two cents’ worth
1. The small class size — we really get to know one
another and we are integrated very well with the
medical students.
2. The medical students here — the overwhelming
majority are very supportive and friendly. I would
say I have not experienced any negativity from
them and if anything have made good friendships
and gotten great perspectives from several.
3. The faculty — I was surprised how every lecturer
reminds us constantly of their open door policy;
some even give us their home phone number! The
point is they give us multiple ways to contact them
and remind us not to hesitate if we need help with
concepts we may be struggling with.
4. The opportunities from the hospital — the
cardiothoracic surgery department has kind of
adopted us! We are allowed to attend their weekly
cardiothoracic conferences which include journal
reviews, case reviews, or lectures on specific types
of imaging and procedures. It is a great place to try
out your new physiology knowledge, and indeed,
one of the thoracic surgeons makes it a point to
question us on what we’ve learned that week! We
have also been invited to shadow cardiothoracic
surgeries and tour their research laboratories. I have
been amazed and honored to be a part of this
experience.
5. The research opportunity — you are working
one-on-one with a faculty member on a research
topic chosen from a list at the beginning of the year.
Although the bulk of this will be during the spring
and summer quarters, early and intense work early
has facilitated some of the students networking with
other researchers, and getting clinical, lab-based,
and conference invitations.
This section will feature candid comments from
individuals from previous classes. Here’s the first,
and more will appear in later editions of The
Student Guide.
2nd Edition
1st Edition
1. Start strong, stay strong. Even if you have had
biochemistry and physiology before, you will study
this in a new (i.e. all clinically-oriented) and intense
way. You will need to study the syllabus several
times over, and do every old/practice quiz or test
I think this program has a lot of positives that I
hadn’t anticipated:
That said, I also have some recommendations:
that comes your way. Go over your questions
carefully and try to think about the material from
every angle possible.
2. Try to visit here before you move. There are
dozens of neighborhoods here and lots of types of
housing available. It might be worth a trip to make
sure that you will be living in a place you like, that
is close enough to things you need, and will feel
like it works for you.
3. Start on your review paper early and work hard.
Being ahead of the curve here may open some
opportunities for you that you might not otherwise
have had.
4. If you are applying this year, have your AMCAS
and secondaries submitted ASAP, i.e. during the
summer if possible.
3rd Edition
Take advantage of the plethora of resources
available to you at UCCOM! As a previous
classmate mentioned, you are attached to the
hospital – there are literally hundreds of physicians
who work in an academic environment within a one
mile radius of where you will attend classes. Don’t
be shy, if you want/need to shadow, look up
physicians who practice in the specialty you’re
interested in and call or email them! My classmates
and I both found everyone we contacted very open
to allowing us to shadow, all it took was a simple
email explaining who we were (MS student at
UCCOM) and why we were interested in
shadowing them.
Another major advantage of being at the medical
school is your access to the admissions office. Use
it. You will be introduced early in the program to
the Assistant Dean of Admissions, Dr. Stephen
Manuel. Meet with him early and often to address
weak points in your application and seek advice for
what you should be focusing on (besides doing well
in the program, obviously). These meetings are
important to not only refine your application, but to
show your interest in UCCOM. One caveat is not
to assume that addressing the issues he outlines will
automatically get you in – but there is no doubt that
it will vastly increase your chances.
The last thing I’d like to add is perhaps the most
important piece of advice. Do not get discouraged,
ever. If you get a bad grade, brush it off and move
forward – believe it or not grades in the program
aren’t everything. This isn’t to say that doing well
is not important – it can only help you – but grades
alone don’t guarantee successful admission to
medical school.
Finishing the program, and
finishing strong, is by far more important. Also, if
you don’t get into medical school on your first
application cycle, be it during the program or the
year after, don’t get down! Re-apply early and
focus on improving yourself during your gap year.
Keep meeting with Dr. Manuel, and the deans of
admissions at any schools you are seriously
interested in. Get a job (don’t forget you have an
MS degree now). Shadow at hospitals associated
with schools you’re interested in.
Continue
volunteering wherever you live with an organization
that you are passionate about. Do some research if
you can. Persistence and hard work really do pay
off, and wallowing in self-pity will not help you one
bit. There is no method to the madness that is the
application process, just accept things as they come
and in the end I assure you that things will work out
if you keep focused and stay positive.
4th Edition
A lot of the things that I wanted to talk about were
already covered by previous writers, so I thought
I’d share some perspective on other things that I
think are also important for having success in the
program and beyond.
Probably the hardest thing for me throughout the
year was staying focused and motivated. I feel a
good analogy would be that studying for the MCAT
is like a sprint, whereas this program is more of a
marathon, at least in terms of staying focused. At
the beginning of the year, everyone is excited about
starting school again and studying together. But as
the weeks tick by, and you take test after test with
no word from med schools about the status of your
application, it can be hard to summon the
motivation each day to slog through the hours of
lecture and review material. Burnout is definitely a
real thing to be mindful of, and it’s really important
to find whatever it is you need as a source of
motivation. Make sure you nurture your passions!
Additionally, I think it’s important to keep in mind,
while you are in the program, that you really are
being evaluated on all aspects of your performance.
The most obvious aspect is your grades and how
well you perform on the many, many tests you will
sit for. But I think what is also as important is how
you interact and fit in the med school environment.
As Dr. Lorenz will undoubtedly remind you, it’s
important to make a good impression on the various
people you run into on the med campus. The med
school places a good deal of importance on
“professionalism” so you want to demonstrate that
as best you can. This means things like not being
late for classes or events, participating in
discussions, and generally acting like this is where
you want to be. Even if you would rather be at
home studying for an upcoming quiz, it’s important
to be mindful of the fact that faculty and med
students take a lot time out of their day to help you
succeed, so it’s important to be respectful and
polite. Even if you feel like you would be more
productive doing other things in other places, try
not to show it. Trust me, people will notice if you
act like a jerk, and it would really be unfortunate to
put all that hard work into studying and doing well
in class but then make a bad impression in the
minds of the faculty due to behavior. Listen to what
Dr. Lorenz and Dr. Banks have to say, while
sometimes it’s difficult to hear things after a rough
day, or brutal exam, in the long run, their guidance
and advice has proven to be sound time and time
again.
This is not to say that you should try to remain as
inconspicuous as possible though. On the contrary,
you should really take advantage of this year to put
yourself out there and learn as much as you can
about your future career. Of course grades should
come first, but you should definitely also do things
like shadowing and getting to know some of the
first year med students that you run into. Engaging
with the med students is really helpful, especially in
anatomy, and you can often pick up tips or review
materials that are super helpful. Even if you are
initially a shy person, you will want to work on
these skills eventually to become a good doctor in
the future, and now is as good a time to start as any.
Even though almost all of your time will be
dominated by studying, making room for small
pockets of time to focus on other things will be
worth it in helping you stay focused on the overall
big picture goal of becoming a great physician.
Final words
This document could be more comprehensive, and
there may be further unanswered questions, but
we’ve tried to do as complete a job as possible
whilst not neglecting our studies! If you have
questions or comments, contact your assigned
alumni mentor, or any of us – especially those of us
who are here attending UCCOM – and we’d be
happy to help any way we can (see the “Alumni”
section at the MS Physiology website http://www.med.uc.edu/physiology/MS-alumni.htm)!